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1) How long have you been using Sani-Chips?
only 2 months, and only in my upstairs room.
2) For what species?
mostly BPs, some boas and other pythons. baby bulls
3) Any particular age group?
babies through adults
4) Live feeders, or f/t?
mostly f/t, few live
5) Have you used it during breeding season?
no - had an issue with prolapsed hemipene and embedded aspen once, so I generally use paper during pairings.
6) Have you experienced any problems as a direct result of this substrate?
Yes. Over the past month, I've been getting small flies in that room in increasing numbers. Seems that any spilled water, or soiling is enough...and when I open the tub they fly out. I resorted to hanging a few of those nasty fly tapes, and have switched everything except the hatchling rack over to paper (I just did the others yesterday; and after 50-60 tubs, I'd had enough)
7) Positive comments?
I actually liked the small particles, and found it less messy than shredded aspen (I track that everywhere). Great absorption - before the flies started showing up, I would occasionally dump water in a shedding snake's tub.
One bag goes a long way.
8) Negative comments?
Regular spot cleaning is a must - I quickly found that if I tried to stick to scheduled cleaning days, I was seeing mold develpment in some of the cages.
Sticks to anything damp - tubs, bowls, feeders, snakes, doesn't matter.
Those damn flies
9) If you have stopped using Sani-Chips, what are you using now?
Back to paper, except for the hatchling rack. That will be back to aspen this weekend.
I'm not really sure of the source of the flies (more like little gnats) - I know they show up quickly, and only in the presence of moisture; but in 20 yrs I have never had an ongoing, escalating issue with bugs. I'm basically discounting the idea of receiving contaminated product; but I suppose that if a couple of those little buggers got into an open bag, the addition of moisture could be all it takes...
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